Shipping drum and method of making the same



July 8, 1930. H. E. M CRERY SHIPPING DRUI AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAMEFiled July 8. 1927 b95704 0 [MW/75f) Patented July 8, 1930 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE HAROLD E. MCCBERY, OF APOLLO, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TOPITTSBURGH STEEL DRUM COMPANY, OFPITTSBUBGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATIONOF DELA- WARE SHIPPIN G DRUM AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Applicationfiled July 8,

This invention relates to shipping drums and method of makin the same.

The use of metal shipping drums has become very extensive in recent earsand numerous efforts have been ma e to make a drum of relatively light'age'which would be sutficiently strong to enable it to be sub 'ected torough usage when used for shipping eavy materials. Efforts also havebeen made to provide a drum structure of such a character that the endsof the drums might be nested to permit the drums to be arranged oneabove another to facilitate storage and shipment. Extreme difliculty hasbeen encountered in providing a relatively light gage drum which may bemanufactured at a comparatively low cost and which would possess thedesired characteristics referred to above.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novel formof metal shipping drum the structure of which is such as to adapt it foruse in shipping relatively heavy materials without causing distortion ofthe drum, and particularly the bottom thereof, when it is subjected torough usage,

A further object is to provide novel reinforcing means for the bottomsof the drums.

A further object is to provide a shipping drum having a head attachingflange at the bottom thereof, and provided with longitudinal reinforcingribs which extend downwardly to the attaching flange, and to provide ahead inner and outer portions of which are adapted to contact withopposite sides of the reinforcing ribs.

A further object is to provide a drum structure the ends of which aresubstantially identical in form, and wherein the provision of thereinforcing ribs referred to reduces the external diameter of the bottomof the drum whereby it is adapted to be received in the head and upperend of a drum arranged therebeneath in order that the drums may bearranged one upon another in vertical columns.

A further object is to provide a novel method of making drums wherebythe fin ished articles possess the physical characteristics outlinedabove.

Other objects and advantages of the inven- 192 7. Serial No. 204,863.

tion'will become apparent during the course of the followingdescription.

In carrying out the present method a substantially cylindrical drumblank formed of sheet metal is employed, and the drum may be rolledintermediate its ends to provide circumferential reinforcing ribs. Theseribs form no part of the present invention and may be of any desiredform. The circumferential ribs preferably terminate a substantialdistance from the ends of the drum, as will become apparent. Each end ofthe body of the drum is rolled to provide an outstanding annular headattaching flange, and the lower end of the body is provided preferablythroughout its circumference with ribs extending longitudinally of thedrum. I am aware that drums have been manufactured which includelongitudinal ribs arranged adjacent one or bothends, but such ribs donot extend to the end of the drum, that is, to a point adjacent the headattaching flange since it has been thought that the provision of suchribs, which reduce'the diameter of the end of the drum, would result incrimping the head attaching flange so that the head could not beattached thereto and provide a leak-proof joint. In the present method,however, the ribs extend entirely to the end of the, drum, that is, tothe head attaching flange, and have been found to reduce the diameter ofthe end of the drum without crimping the head attaching flange wherebythe bottom of the finished drum is reduced in diameter to permit thenesting action referred to. After the longitudinal ribs and headattaching flange have been formed, a head is arranged beneath andagainst the flange to-be secured to the drum. The head is preferably ofgreater diameter than the flange, thus providing an annular outstand ingportion which is initially rolled inwardly over the flange when securingthe head in position. The head employed preferably is provided with acylindrical portion. which fits within the portion of the drum providedwith the longitudinal ribs, and after the outstanding portion of thehead has been rolled inwardly over the flange of the body, the latterelement and the outer portion of the head are rolled inwardly againstthe outer portions of the ribs. Thus the head is secured in position andportions thereof contact with opposite sides of the longitudinallyribbed portion of the drum. This portion of ,the drum is vexceedinglyrigid thuspermittinga tight" rolling action to takeplaoe, the jointbetween the body flange and head being such as to effectually preventleakage.

Asimilarhead is provided for" the upperend of the drum and; is attachedbefore'the latteg has been filled with material. The u per end of thedrum is not provided with t e longitudinal ribs, and accordingly retainsits normal diameter; The head provided for thenpper end ofthe drumaccordingly is largerthan' the lower head, but otherwise is identicaltherewith and is attached in the same manner,'- the "upper. end of thedrum. also being provided with a head attaching flange of the characterpreviously referred to. Thelends ofthe finished drum are of Figure 1 isa sideelevation of a pair of' .nested drums, parts'being shown insection, v Figure. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view throughthe nested portions of twosupe'rimposed drums,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of one of the drums takenthrough the longiv tudinal ribbed portion thereof, and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sec-v tional view of the lowerportion. of a drum showing the method of attaching the head thereto. i

Referring to the drawings the numeral 10 designates the bodies of a pairof superimposed forms each of which is identical in construction andonly one of which need be referred to in detaiL- The drum is providedwith reinforcing means preferably in the form of circumferential ribs11. As previously stated, these ribs form no part of the presentinvention and the body of the drum intermediate its ends may bereinforced in any desired manner.

Referring to Figure 4, the numeral 12 designates an outstanding annularhead attaching flange formed on the lower end of the drum. Theadjacentportion of the body of the drum is provided with longitudinallyextending ribs 13, these ribs being of any desired length and extendingto pointsadjacent the attaching flange 12. The longitudi- F A headdestroying the flat shape of theflange 12, and accordingly the lowerhead to hardened to is adapted for attachment to the'flange and tocooperate therewith to form a leak-proof joint. v

designated asa whole by the numeral 14 is adapted to be attached to thelower end of the drum. This head is provided with an inner disk likeportion 15 in which may berolled suitable reinforcing ribs 16. At theextremity of the disk portion of the head the latter extendsdownwardlyas at '17 to form a cylindrical flange which snugly fitswithin the longitudinally ribbed portion of the body of the drum, as

clearly shown in Figure 4. Beneath the cylindrical portion 17 the headis provided with an outstanding annular flange 18 which is materiallylarger in diameter than the body flange 12. When the head is to beattached to the drum, the portion 17- is inserted'within the end of thedrum-and the projectingportion of the flange is rolled inwardly over theflange '12, as shown in dotted lines in Figura The portions of theflanges 12 and 18 extend beyond the body of the drum and'are then rolledupwardly and inwardly against the faces of the ribs 13, as showninFigure 2. Owing to the rigidity provided by the ribs 13 the head maybe tightly rolled thereagainst to rigidly secure the head in position,and the contacting faces of the flanges 12 and 18 provide an etficientleak-proof oint This joint is ,permittedto be formed only because of thefact that the flat shape of the flange 12. is not disturbed by theformation of the ribs 13.

The upper end of the drum retains its cylindrical shape, as shown at 19,thus preserving the normal diameter of this portion of the drum. Theupper end of the drum also is provided with a flange 20 similar to theflange 12, and this flange is adapted to coact with a flange 21 formedon a head 22 to, provide a leak proof joint at the upper end of thedrum. The upper head also is provided with'a disk portion 23 and acylindrical portion 24, the latter snugly fitting Within the upper endof the drum body. The upper head .issecured to the body in the samemanner as the lower head and the method of attaching the upper head neednot be referred "to, in detail. If desired, the upper head may beprovided with a central depending annular portion threaded to receive acover 26. The provision of this cover permits the drurnto be whollassembled at, the factory and to be filled and closed by the shipper. Asshown in Figure 2 the external diameter of the lower extremity of eachdrum is substantially equal to but not greater than the internaldiameter, of the cylindrical portion .24 of the upper head, andconsequently the lower end of one drum is adapted to be arranged in thecylindrical portiono the head of another drum and to rest upon the diskportion 23 of the latter head. This structure permits the drums to benested whereby they may be arranged in vertical columns to facilitatestorage and shipment.

The operation of the drum will be clearly apparent from the foregoingdescription. The provision of the longitudinal ribs 13 reduces thediameter of the lower end of the drum to permit the nesting actionreferred to and also greatly stiflens the end of the drum to preventdistortion thereof when the drum is dropped on its end or otherwiseroughly handled. It also has been found that the longitudinally ribbedportions of 1 the drums possess a slight degree of radica'l elasticityto permit the head to be tightly rolled thereagainst, this slightresiliency serving to effectively maintain the leak-proof joint betweenthe head and body flanges. It will be apparent, of course that the upperhead may be made solid, in which case it will be attached by the shipperafter the drum is filled, or it may be provided with the closure 26previously referred to.

It is to be understood that the form of the drum and the method ofmaking the same are to be taken as preferred examples of the same andthat various changes may be made both as to the method and details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. The method of forming drums which consists in forming an outstandingannular flange on one end of a cylindrical body, forming elongatedlogitudinal ribs on said end of the body to reduce the diameter of suchportion of the body and extending substantially to the flange thereof,and securing a head to to the flange with portions of the head arrangedagainst opposite sides of the longitudinal ribs.

2. The method of forming drums whichconsists in forming an outstandingannular flange on one end of a cylindrical body, form ing longitudinalribs on said end of the body to reduce the diameter of such portion ofthe body and extending substantially to the flange thereof, arranging ahead against said end of the body with a portion thereof fitting withinthe longitudinally ribbed portion of the body and a portion projectinbeyond the flange of the bod turning t e projecting portion of the heaover the flange, and turning the flange and the outer portion of thehead inwardly against the outer portions of the longitudinally ribbedportion of the body.

3. A drum comprising a sheet metal body having an attaching flange atone end thereof and a plurality of elongated longitudinal ribs formed insaid end and exten ing substantially to said flange, the ribbed portionof said body being of reduced diameter and a head having a cylindricalportion fittin within the ribbed portion of said bod an an outstandingportion secured to said ange. 4. A drum comprising a sheet metal bodyhaving an attaching flange at one end thereof and a plurality oflongitudinal ribs formed in said end and extending substantially to saidflange to reduce the diameter of said end of the body, and a head havinga central disk portion and a cylindrical portion at the outer extremitythereof fittin within the ribbed portion of said body, said head furtherbeing provided with an outstanding portion having its extremity turnedabout said flange, the outstanding portion of said head and said flangebeing turned upwardly and inwardl against the outer portion of theribbed portion of said body.

In testimony whereof I atfix my si nature.

HAROLD E. Mconnar.

yes

